Finding brighter days ahead
Nonprofit foundation
Arms full of wrapped gifts and balloons, they showed up on the doorstep of 7-year-old Danielle Kocur of rural Brainerd Monday night to brighten her day.
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The Riverside second-grader has been battling chronic myelogenous leukemia for the past two years. She's expected to undergo a bone marrow transplant in June. Her younger brother, Ethan, 6, will be her donor.
Danielle Kocur, 7, of rural Brainerd, was all smiles as she opened her presents, including her new robe, Monday night from the Brighter Days Foundation. The Riverside second-grader received free horse riding lessons, an American Girl doll and more. Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls » Purchase reprints of this photo.
But what the founding members of the newly formed Brighter Days Foundation quickly learned is that the experience did nearly as much to brighten their own day as it did for the little girl and her family.
The Brighter Days Foundation was the brainchild of Dr. Jeanni Foss, a Baxter dentist. While she has supported various national children's charities, she felt there should be a nonprofit community organization that gave children in Crow Wing County who are chronically ill or battling a severe illness a meaningful gift to brighten their day.
Last spring Foss enlisted the help of Dr. Troy Couture, a Brainerd pediatrician; Stacy Schueller; and Megan and Ryan Fogarty of Breezy Point. Megan is a dental assistant at Foss' Edgewood Dental office. The Fogartys' son, Logan, now 3-1/2, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a form of childhood cancer, when he was 5 months old. Logan is now cancer-free, but his parents wanted to help others going through a similar situation.
Dr. Jeanni Foss (left), Megan and Ryan Fogarty and Dr. Troy Couture gathered up the gifts they delivered to surprise 7-year-old Danielle Kocur and her family. The group recently formed the Brighter Days Foundation, a local nonprofit organization designed to provide meaningful gifts to children in Crow Wing County who have a chronic medical condition or severe illness, like cancer. Danielle has leukemia and will undergo a bone marrow transplant in June. Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls » Purchase reprints of this photo.
The group makes up the board of directors for the Brighter Days Foundation, a nonprofit organization in which 100 percent of donations are used to provide gifts for ill children in the county. Their goal is to help one or two children in the county this year with the hope to grow to 5-10 children per year within the next five years.
Danielle, who was nominated by her doctor, Dr. Jane Winter, was the first child they'd selected. She and her four siblings, Alyssa, 11; Brittni, 9; Chelsea, 8; and Ethan, 6; had no idea what was happening when several vehicles showed up in their driveway Monday night. Their father, Jason Kocur, and step-mother, Nora Turner, had told foundation members the types of things that Danielle was interested in and then the volunteers went to work.
As if it was her very own Christmas, Danielle's eyes widened as she opened her many gifts. She received a framed autographed photograph of Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift, her favorite singers, and Felicity, an American Girl doll, her horse and accessories. Danielle loves horses but has never ridden one before so the foundation got her five free horse riding lessons at Spirit Horse Center. She also received a Hannah Montana blanket, a robe, a Didj educational gaming system and several more presents. Her siblings each received their own small gifts, including blankets made by students at Rogers Junior High School, where Foss' mother works. The family also received a $100 gift card to Cub Foods to help with their Thanksgiving dinner.
"It's exciting," Jason Kocur said of the gifts.
Danielle said she was excited about "the real horses." She said she couldn't wait to go riding.
"That was so cool," Couture said with a smile. "I want to do that every day."
Brighter Days Foundation provides gifts for children ages 0-18 who are chronically ill and living in Crow Wing County. Nomination forms are available at many area businesses. The foundation is seeking donations of all kinds. Foss said board members are planning a few fundraising events for next year but also have solicited donations at several area business. For more information or to make a donation, call 330-8682 or write to the Brighter Days Foundation, 6116 Edmonton Road, Baxter, MN 56425.
JODIE TWEED may be reached at jodie.tweed@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5858.